Ramsbottom puddle is so big it has ducks on it (they're not real though)

A HUGE puddle that has blighted a street in Ramsbottom is driving local businessman Pete Allen totally “quackers”.

He says he has repeatedly contacted Bury Council over the past year in a bid to tackle the flooding in the town’s Kenyon Street, which he believes has been caused by a blocked gully grid and drainage.

Mr Allen, a director of ISM Waste Services and Recycling based in the street, said: “At its worst, the standing water is around 80ft long and 15ft wide and increases in size with all the rain we get.

"Quite frankly, I’ve reported this to Bury Council at least half a dozen times this year alone.

“The fire brigade came down here about a week and half ago and had difficulty in locating the manhole for the fire hydrant point because the water was covering it. I’m worried that lives could be endangered here.”

Mr Allen said that despite his concerted efforts to have the local authority carry out repairs, it was only in the past few days that suction and jetting work took place at the scene.

A spokesman for Bury Council said: “Identifying the cause of this particular problem is proving quite complex. Initially, the build-up of water was fairly minor and it was thought that it was a blocked gully.

“However, this proved not to be the case as jetting alone did not resolve the problem. Unfortunately, identifying the exact cause of a blockage can sometimes be a difficult and slow process involving trial excavations in the road.

“Within the next few days we will commence more detailed works at Kenyon Street to locate and repair the damage to the surface water sewer, which receives the water from the gullies.”

She added: “Until this work gets under way we won’t know the extent of the damage or how long the necessary repair works will take.

“We are, however, liaising with local businesses to co-ordinate this work and agree any measures required to minimise disruption while the problem is resolved as quickly as possible.”